What Raw Vegans Can Teach Us About Paleo: 12 Lessons For Supercharged Living.

Hey all,

I listen to dozens of podcasts and read dozens of blogs. One of those that I regularly check out is Ben Greenfield's blog and podcast. Ben has a way of striking that delicate balance between the concerns of his paleo and vegan followers. Some time ago I wrote a post about paleo vs vegan and I was really trying to hit the point that our differences are really fairly minor and our goals are much the same. Until the day we can look at our world and see a happy healthy planet of nutritionally educated healthy people we need to work together in supporting the primary cause of natural whole food living.

The following is a great article from Ben Greenfield Fitness on "What Raw Vegans Can Teach Us About Paleo: 12 Lessons For Supercharged Living." I also recommend checking out his podcast, especially if you are looking toward endurance athletics and triathlons.

Read more: http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/2014/06/vegan-vs-paleo/#ixzz34W5QiFuL

Thanks for stopping by,

Chuck

Paleo vs Vegan

It is easy to assume that as an individual following a Paleo lifestyle that I would have nothing but bad things to say about vegans.  You wouldn't be wrong to assume that, since many of the well known Paleo evangelists tend to quickly put down vegans or anything that isn't at least in the low carb realm.  In reality I think there are far more things that these two communities have in common.

I have a close friend that went all-in vegan about 6 months ago.  He has shared his before and after blood work, body fat, and I run with him regularly.  It is remarkable how close our results align to one another.  He has lost just about the same amount of weight. His body fat change is nearly identical.  He is running at about the same level.  And while our blood stats are somewhat different he has also had very significant improvements, especially in triglycerides.  So with all that it is a little hard for me to look at him and explain why he should eat steak instead of beans and grains.  

Who am I really comparing

Many vegans start out as vegetarians and ultimately make the choice due to ethical convictions. I am not going to address those differences. The remaining vegans are dietary vegans and have made the switch as an attempt at losing weight and/or get healthy basically the same reason I am Paleo.  

A breakdown of the similarities

• It's about getting healthy
• It's about whole foods
• It's about sustainable and ethical food production
• It's about eating and living naturally

And the differences

• Vegans don't eat meat
• Vegans don't eat eggs
• Paleo don't eat legumes 
• Paleo don't eat grains

Ok, I admit if you really dig there are lots of nuances to both vegan and Paleo lifestyles that could make these lists very long.  You can even find differences between vegans themselves or individual Paleo.  What I listed above are the fundamental similarities and differences I think most can agree on.

So what does this really mean 

Look around you, head out to any restaurant, grocery store, or any public place.  It is amazing how few lean people you will see.  It is amazing what you see in people's carts at the grocery store.  Look at your friends and family.  How many are overweight?  How many are 20, 30, 40 pounds overweight but believe they are healthy because so many people are 50, 60, 70 pounds overweight.  How many people do you know that eat something and assume it is healthy but you know better.  Here is the reality, our country and most of the developed world is in a total health crisis.  The solution to this crisis is actually pretty simple and straight forward.  Individuals are so inundated with false information partnered with a dependency on processed calorie rich, nutrient sparse foods that they lose the forest in the trees.  I eat meat and my friend eats beans and grain but ultimately we want the same thing.  We want to live a long happy healthy life.  We want to impact the lives of others around us and show them what we were able to accomplish and that it is not impossible.  We want to change the path our society is on.  Vegans and Paleo should be arm and arm and save the grain vs meat debate for a time when a majority of our bothers and sisters are eating healthy whole foods.

Thanks for stopping by,

Chuck

Is Adventure Racing the Perfect Paleo Sport?

Is adventure racing the perfect Paleo sport?  If you have read some of my early posts or hung around me much then you know I have participated in a few adventure races and am pretty much hooked.  As far as I can tell adventure racing has not broke into the paleosphere nearly as much as I would have expected.  Adopting a Paleo or primal lifestyle means more than just food.  It is truly about evolving all aspects of your life around how we are naturally designed to operate as human beings.  I have heard many people speak on natural body movement, body weight exercises, getting outside in the sun, etc.  Certainly all of these things are a way to get closer to our primal roots but what about adventure racing?

A beautiful adventure racing vista

Adventure Racing is not an Obstacle Course

When I tell most people that I adventure race they immediately assume that I am talking about an obstacle course race.  While I have run one or two of these and they can be fun they are not adventure races. 

So what is an adventure race then?

Ready to go

Adventure races involve a broad range of skills that are tested for an extended period and range.  Exactly what a particular race involves varies a bit but in general an adventure race is comprised of orienteering through a natural environment over land and water, by foot, canoe or kayak, and mountain bike.  Some unique races may include other water activities, rappelling, etc.   Adventure races range in duration from 6 hrs all the way up to multi-day events. 

Maps

Prior to the start of a race you will receive a topographical map which may contain the entire course or be one of several you will receive.  You will have some period of time, depending on the length of course, to plot checkpoints, and develop a strategy. 

Checkpoints are important!

There's a checkpoint

Every race has checkpoints.  Checkpoints come in many flavors; some are mandatory to finish, some are optional, some you must get in order, some you must get on foot, some on water, some on bike, and there may be unique requirements on specific race courses.   When developing your strategy it is very important to read the directions very closely or you may end up back tracking or worse be disqualified. 

Passports

Each team has a passport. When you arrive at a checkpoint there will be a special stamp that you use to mark your passport in the appropriate area.  This is how the race officials will know that you made it to a specific point. 

Strategy

Your team will have its strength and weaknesses.  Are you good at canoeing, or biking? What is the general physical condition or your team?  Are your good at navigating?  Did I mention there are no GPS units allowed? Your strategy will depend on the skills and weaknesses of your team and the layout of the course and drive which points and in what order you will attempt to knock them out. 

Fuel and Hydration

Adventure races are long so you absolutely have to fuel.  If you are extremely fit you can get by on a 6 hour with very little fuel but it is easy to under estimate.  If you don't fuel and hydrate enough you will find yourself cramping and unable to complete the course.  

Equipment

Hills suck

There will be a decent amount of mandatory equipment and you will be tempted to pack in a lot of additional items.  There are some things that are essential and others that might seem essential but are not.  What to carry and when will be learned over time and from other racers but also vary depending on the length of race.  Some races will also have staging areas where additional gear can be left.  Depending on where these are on the course they may drive what you carry and your overall strategy.

Orienteering

You’re all packed up, have your strategy, and hit the trail.  Now you have to find your first point.  Orienteering is challenging!  It involves taking all your senses into account and observing your surroundings in ways that you are likely not used to doing.  Many of the 6 hour courses are designed for the novice, like me, so finding points is not extremely difficult but there are usually a couple curve balls that may send you in circles.  Bottom line here is, practice makes perfect. 

So why is adventure racing the perfect Paleo support?

Comradery Being Bred

Ok, you can argue that our ancestors didn't have mountain bikes but with that aside it is really pretty simple to see how Paleo adventure racing is.  In adventure racing you must navigate through a natural environment, at speed, under stress, for many hours at a time.  These activities force you to become very close with the environment around you, with your own personal needs and limitations, and those of your team mates.  I can’t think of a more perfect sport to simulate the kinds of pressures and activities that our Paleolithic ancestors experienced during their day to day lives hunting and gathering.  Many people listen to me explain adventure racing and wonder why I would pay to participate in a race there is almost no chance that I will "win".  To be honest with you I am not so sure I know the exact answer.  It doesn't really sound all that fun but the reality is that adventure racing makes me feel completely alive.  Maybe it has something to do with that primal connection to the natural world and your team mates.  As my good adventure racing buddy says "Misery breeds Comradery" 

If you are in Virginia check out these links.  I have run races with these guys and they are both awesome.

http://www.adventureaddictsracing.com

http://www.oarevents.com/

Also feel free to drop me an email if you have any question about adventure racing or anything else.

Thanks for stopping by,

Chuck

Welcome to the Brady Paleo Blog

Welcome to our blog!  On July 1st 2013 my wife and I began to transition our family to a Paleo lifestyle.  We have done many things over the past few years to improve our health and fitness. We have made some progress over the years but nothing compared to our first couple months living Paleo.  We have become so passionate about our new lifestyle that we have decided to chronicle our journey and philosophy here.  We have always been adhoc creative cooks and a lot of what you will see will be the simple on the fly recipes that we develop every day. We are avid observers of the Paleosphere and are excited to jump in and helping spread the word.

Thanks
Chuck and Steph Brady